Stansbury Announces Community Project Funding Awards Including Sandoval County Projects

Rep. Melanie Stansbury announced federal Community Project Funding actions that include projects affecting Sandoval County, naming a proposed $8,000,000 comprehensive behavioral health and resource center in the Town of Bernalillo and an $8,000,000 Sandoval County Animal Resource Center that broke ground Feb. 19 near Kaktus Brewing Company in Bernalillo.

The disclosure of project totals varies by release. A Stansbury House press release tied to an earlier cycle listed 15 project submissions totaling $53.1 million, while nm.news reported a separate FY2026 submission of 15 projects totaling $158,450,000 that will be considered as part of the FY2026 appropriations process. Nm.news also said $48 million of those requests target projects in Bernalillo and the Village of Corrales.

Nm.news and nmPoliticalReport identified specific Sandoval County and First District requests: $8,000,000 for the Bernalillo behavioral health and resource center to serve rural and remote communities across Sandoval County; $20,000,000 to rehabilitate Bernalillo’s aging wastewater treatment plant; and $20,000,000 to install a wastewater treatment facility and expand collection in Corrales to protect groundwater and recycle treated wastewater. The Bernalillo and Corrales requests together are presented by nm.news as part of the $48 million aggregate for those communities.

Local officials and event coverage provided additional on-the-ground detail. Rio Rancho Observer reported the Sandoval County Animal Resource Center groundbreaking on Feb. 19 and said Stansbury attended the ceremony, bringing two county dogs named Peaches and Kaktus. At the event Stansbury said, "This is really about our sweet animals. The most important thing that I can say to all of you this morning is please help us find a home for these animals, because that is really what this project is all about." County Manager Wayne Johnson told attendees the effort "has really been going on for seven or eight years," and Commissioner Katherine Bruch was identified as a long-time advocate for the project. The Observer also reported that, according to Johnson, Stansbury provided funding for the Animal Resource Center.

Stansbury’s press materials list additional line items: $1,000,000 for Sandoval County Sheriff vehicles to replace 14 high-mileage patrol, detective, and unmarked cars and to purchase a surveillance camera; $500,000 for the New Mexico State Police DNA Lab to help process more than 1,000 unworked non-violent cases and the more than 450 cases the lab receives each year; and $7,678,352 for a new fire station in Peralta. Sandoval Signpost and nmPoliticalReport noted a $3,300,000 request for Estancia Community Center repairs and a $2,000,000 Bernalillo County affordable housing request.

On the federal timeline, nm.news reported these proposals will be considered by the House Appropriations Committee and must be approved by the committee and passed by both chambers before any funding can be signed into law, a process expected to extend into the fall ahead of Fiscal Year 2026 beginning Oct. 1. Nm.news also noted this year’s submissions are restricted to specific federal programs and eligible entities such as state, local, and Tribal governments.

Stansbury framed Community Project Funding as an intentional tool for local investment, saying, "Community Project Funding is a tool used to ‘deliver necessary investments for lasting change in New Mexico.’" She added, "I came to Congress to support the needs of New Mexico using every tool available," and described CPF as "one of the most powerful tools we have." The differing totals and the mix of requests versus reported awards in local coverage highlight that final funding outcomes depend on the appropriations process and further confirmation of which projects, if any, receive certified federal awards.